Callous Objectives
by MelissaKS and Silent
Summary: Sasuke has finally fulfilled his destiny, and right when he thinks he should praise his victory, Madara Uchiha gives him traumatizing news that he has just murdered his innocent brother. But what if Itachi is still alive?
1. Futile Memories

Callous Objectives

MelissaKS Author's Note: This is a fic that I was asked to write alongside another author, Silent. We plan to switch off on the writing on the chapters. I wrote the first chapter here, and the next one will be written by silent.

With that being said, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy it, I certainly enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer: I do not own or write Naruto, just enjoy reading and writing fanfiction is all.

**Chapter One**

* * *

Sasuke's POV

"But he couldn't bring himself to kill you," Madara Uchiha's quiet voice relentlessly echoed in my ears as the masked man walked up to me, his red eye shining through the eyehole of the mask. Kneeling next to me, he reached his arm forward, a kunai appearing in his gloved hand. "Why do you think that is?"

My breath caught in my throat as Madara sliced down with the kunai. I blinked in surprise as the binding ropes fell away. My mind was churning with everything Madara had said, of how Itachi had killed the Uchiha clan on the orders of the Sandaime Hokage and the village council. I shied away from the possibility, refusing to believe that there was truth in it. _How could that be?_ I silently screamed. _It can't be true!_

"For him, your life, weighed more than the village." Madara's voice interrupted his raging thoughts. I stared up at him in astonishment, unable to accept what he was hearing. "Until he died…no…even in death, he was think of you. So that in defeating him, and avenging the Uchiha clan, you would be hailed as a hero in Konoha." My eyes stared blindly, not seeing what was before me, as I mind absorbed words, frantically trying to calm myself as I felt shock sweeping across my being. "Eaten up by disease and feeling his own death approaching, he used medicine to prolong his life. All for the sake of his beloved brother."

"He had to fight you, and die before your eyes." My head snapped up, my dark eyes meeting the visible eye through Madara's mask. "For the sake of Konoha's peace, and more than anything, for you…Sasuke Uchiha. He wanted to die a criminal, a traitor. He accepting dishonor in payment for honor, and hatred in payment for love…even then, Itachi died smiling."

"Entrusting the Uchiha name to you, while deceiving you forever."

My eyes stared blindly ahead of me as time seemed to stand still, the shock of everything I had been told settled around me, encompassing my entire being. Memories of Itachi flashed before my eyes, from the time before the death of our clan. It was a happier time in my life, when I had looked up to the man I called brother, and striven to prove myself in my father's eyes.

My mind turned to the searing memory of that fateful night I had returned to the Uchiha complex, finding my clansmen murdered by Itachi's hand.

'_To test my strength_,' he had said to me. '_Run, foolish little brother, preserve your pathetic life_.' Even now, after all this time, his words echoed in my ears, as though he was still standing right in front of me, staring down at me with his blood red eyes as I cowered before him. _'If you want to kill me, then hate me.' _

A tremor shook my body as the memories filled my mind, mixing the words Madara had spoken. My mind couldn't accept it, couldn't accept that Itachi, my hated brother who I had lived my life to kill, had spared my life because he cared for me above all else. That he had not killed our family for his own sake, but on orders; that the council and the Hokage both were the ones truly responsible for the deaths of my family.

My hands fisted at my sides as my mind focused on this train of thought. Itachi had been ordered to kill our family. He was forced to do it. He had done it for the sake of the village, to preserve the peace and prevent a war. It all led back to the actions of the council, how they had unfairly treated the Uchiha in the beginning. If it had not been for them, then the Uchiha clan members would not have planned a coup, and Itachi would not have been ordered to kill the clan. The council had started it all.

"Terrible thing they did," My eyes narrowed as Madara began speaking again. "Forcing your brother to make that decision; to make the choice of killing his own family, the people he cared about most. Just imagine what it must have done to him."

I gritted my teeth as anger began to flow through my body. I had lived my life as an Avenger, fighting to revenge the death of my clan. To kill the one who had killed them. And now, now that I had finally accomplished my goal in life, I discover that it was all a lie. I find the blame truly belonged within Konoha, the place I had once called home. I had killed my last remaining family for nothing.

I slowly pushed myself up from the ground, ignoring the slight soreness from my battle with Itachi. I looked up, meeting the single eye staring at me through Madara's orange mask. An emotion I didn't quite catch flashed through his eye as he watched me.

"So, Sasuke Uchiha, what do you plan to do now?" He whispered.

My thoughts flashed once more to my brother, and the time we had spent together before the massacre of the Uchiha clan. Then, the image of his face, as he lay on the ground, killed by my hand, flashed before my eyes.

My gaze hardened, and I gave Madara a challenging look. "I am going to avenge my clan."

Madara stared silently at me for a moment. "I see. How do you plan to do this? Konoha is a powerful ninja village. You cannot destroy it by yourself, no matter how far your powers have grown so far."

I glared at him, "I will do this. Nothing shall stop me." I began to walk around him, heading towards the opening of the cavern we were in, when his voice stopped me.

"I could help you." His quiet voice rang out. I glanced over my shoulder at him. He hadn't moved from his previous position, his back facing me.

"Why?" I questioned him.

He turned around to face me, his mask making his face unreadable while his eye revealed nothing, "I have my own reasons for hating the village."

I glared at him, mistrusting his motives. In the back of my mind, I knew he was right, that defeating the village would be a near impossible task. But I was determined to succeed in avenging the death of my clan.

Mentally shrugging I turned from him and continued on, knowing he would follow.

* * *

Sakura's POV

A frown creased my face as I followed behind Kakashi and Naruto, jumping from tree limbs as we rushed along. After being held up for so long by the man in the orange mask, I felt an increasing need to go faster.

'_It is over, Sasuke won__,__' _those were the words of that, that thing that had appeared. _'Itachi Uchiha is dead.'_

I felt a small smile replace the frown on my face. He had won, after all this time, and everything he had done, everything he had left behind, in order to beat Itachi, he had done it. Naruto glanced back over his shoulder, catching my eye. A smile briefly replaced the look of determination he wore. My smile widened as we both turned our attention back to what was before us. _We're happy for you Sasuke_, I whispered in my mind, _That you finally achieved what you worked so hard for. But now, you _have_ to come back to us. We need you. _

I caught myself on the next branch as Kakashi suddenly stopped, turning to the side and gazing into the distance. "Hinata, use your byakugan, what do you see over there?" We waited while the familiar veins appeared beside Hinata's eyes as she activated the byakugan. She stared out across the canopy of the trees towards the dark cloud that lingered in the distance.

"There's an area about 10km from here, surrounded by very powerful chakra," she burst out. "The forest is burning in black flames!"

My back straightened as new hope filled me, and Kakashi's eye's widened as he said "That's it! Follow me!"

I watched Naruto for a moment as he stood there with his eyes closed, concentrating on his thoughts. I knew he was thinking of Sasuke. We couldn't fail this time, we couldn't.

His eyes snapped open as a new look of determination crossed his face, "Top speed everyone!"

I shot off after Naruto and Kakashi, sensing the chakra of the others as they kept up with us. _Not this time,_ I thought to myself as I pushed myself to my limits, forcing myself to go faster along with Naruto and Kakashi, _We won't fail this time Sasuke. We _will_ bring you back._

* * *

Sasuke's POV

"Sasuke."

I paused, glancing over my shoulder at the man who had called to me. He was holding out a bundle of clothing to me. I could see the Uchiha fan on the back of the white shirt. Briefly glancing down at the bandages wrapping around my torso, I retraced my steps slightly and took the bundle from him.

Starting with my tightly wound left arm, I began to unwind the bandages, the wounds I'd sustained in the battle with Itachi still marring my skin. I frowned, thinking back to how quickly my body had healed itself after the fight with that Akatsuki member. _Deidara_, I thought to myself, _that was the man's name_. After I had rested from that fight, my injuries were gone, healed with the power I took from Orochimaru. _That power seems to have disappeared_, _along with the curse mark_.

I glanced down at my shoulder as I continued unwrapping the bandages, knowing that the mark was no longer there. Madara had been right about that, the mark had disappeared after I had used all my chakra in the battle, allowing Orochimaru to escape. Itachi had killed him using the final summons of the sharingan, Susano.

I pulled the white shirt over my head, ignoring the soreness in my limbs as I strained my injuries. The collar of the shirt stood up, loose around my throat as it came to just below my chin, reminiscent of the way I had once dressed, back when I still called Konoha my home. I tied a thick rope around the top of the black pants I had pulled on, sliding my sword into the back loop.

I looked up at Madara and met his single eye. He stared back, not saying anything, and I turned and walked away leaving the cave behind. I paused as I exited the cave, silently judging how much the wounds were going to slow me down until they finished healing. I would have to slow my pace considerably as they continued healing, as I was still weak from the battle with Itachi.

I silently jumped to the trees, flying smoothly from limb to limb with the slightest chakra flow to my feet to keep my balance. Madara stayed close as we moved, his silent presence standing out in my senses. My eyes wandered to the canopy above, checking the position of the sun as we moved.

"Where exactly are we headed Sasuke?" Madara's quiet voice broke into the silence of the forest around us.

"To the members of my team," I replied, my voice barely above a whisper.

"Do you really believe they will be of use in destroying Konoha?" he questioned.

"Yes, I do." I let a warning slip into my voice. I did not want to be questioned by him on my decisions. It was my revenge, and I would accomplish it by the means that _I_ decided upon.

I felt Madara's eye burning into my back as he watched me, but he did not press the issue. I ignored his staring, focusing on the mission at hand. Once I had retrieved the other members of my team, we could start making our way to Konoha.

My eyes narrowed at the thought. Konoha, my once home, a place where I had been happy. And now I would destroy it. No matter what the costs, no matter how long it took, Konoha would fall.

A couple of hours had passed by the time we reached the members of Team Hebi. They had traveled a short distance from the location where I had left them. Karen had informed the others when she sensed my chakra approaching and they had headed out to meet us. I studiously ignored the passionate gaze Karin directed at me when she saw me. Jugo merely nodded his head in acknowledgement, his gaze instead resting on Madara, the question clear in his eyes. A sadistic grin crossed Suigetsu's face as he glanced at me, shifting the giant sword that he carried on his back.

"How did it go?" He asked, glancing briefly at Madara before turning his gaze back to me.

"Itachi is dead." I said in a neutral voice

His smile widened. He opened his mouth to speak again, only to be interrupted by Karin's squealing voice.

"I _knew_ you could do it Sasuke!" She smiled up at me, her eyes shining with delight. I mentally sighed, outwardly ignoring her.

"Who is he?" Jugo asked suddenly, his eyes still focusing on Madara. Karin and Suigetsu glanced over at him curiously.

"Madara Uchiha." I stated, watching as their eyes all flashed to me for a moment as his last name registered.

"Another one, eh?" Suigetsu said. "I thought you and Itachi were the only ones left."

"Looks like you thought wrong," Jugo said to him, his wary eyes still watching Madara.

A flash of annoyance crossed Suigetsu's face and he started to turn towards Jugo with an obvious intent to start arguing.

"Don't," I warned him.

"We should move away from here," Karin said suddenly. "There are several chakra signatures nearby. They are the ones I sensed before, of the Konoha ninja. They are near to here, where you were fighting Itachi."

My gaze snapped up as I stared at her, glancing in the direction she spoke of. My body tensed at the thought of running into them, more specifically, of the people I was certain would be with them. My thoughts fought between the desire to destroy Konoha, and the memories of the people I had cared about before I left.

Shaking my head, I looked back to the others. "Let's move."

"We'll stop here for tonight," I called a halt, many miles from our previous location, in a small clearing that interrupted the endless trees surrounding us. The others stopped with me, beginning to settle down for the night.

"You are injured Sasuke." Suigetsu and Jugo froze, turning towards me as Karin's voice caught their attention. She had stepped close to me after we stopped, her eyes filled with worry. I sensed her chakra reaching out as she used it to examine the extent of my injuries. "You should let me heal those as well as I can for you."

I nodded slightly and she stepped closer, green healing chakra encircling her hands as she reached out to me. I stood still as her chakra swept over me, seeping into the wounds and causing them to begin sealing. I could see one of the cuts across my chest slowly begin to close, the redness around it disappearing as it began to seal shut, finally leaving behind smooth skin.

The other's waited in silence as she worked. Suigetsu leaned back against a tree, mostly ignoring it, while Jugo split his attention between still watching Madara and watching Karin healing my wounds. I mentally smirked at his wariness of the man. It was quite sensible of him to have wariness of the man. Madara had been silent since we had met up with the rest of Team Hebi. His power was well hidden, though I was sure Karin could sense it with her power of sensing chakra signatures. She would have been able to sense his hidden powers. I was sure they had all noticed, their honed ninja abilities alerting them to the possible threat from the man.

I looked down as I felt Karin's chakra receding. I could feel that most of the wounds were diminished, though my chakra exhaustion was still highly noticeable. I frowned as Karin did not remove her hands from my chest, finally stepping back. A look of disappointment crossed her face as she glanced up at me, sighing as she let her hands fall back down to her sides. I turned my back on her, walking away as I kept my irritation in check, carefully keeping my face blank.

I sat down with my back against a tree, watching as Suigetsu smirked knowingly at Karin and she glared back before stomping over to a tree and plopping herself down, her annoyance clear. I silently sighed, let my eyes drift shut as I thought once again of everything Madara had said to me. My mind turned to the memories I had of my brother as a child, of how happy I had been, and how I had looked up to him. Flashes of his face smiling down at me as he had indulgently played games with me when I asked, him carrying me home when I had overworked myself training.

_We are brothers_, his voice echoed from all those years before,_ I will be a hurdle you must overcome. _My head fell forward as I felt an unstoppable tear roll down my cheek. _Even if you hate me_, more tears fell from my eyes as I remembered the look on his face right before he died. _That's what being a brother is._ I choked back a sob, the view of his dead face wavering in my mind, the small smile on his face even in death.

_Itachi died smiling_, Madara's words interceded on my thoughts. I looked up from where I was sitting, noticing the others watching me in silence. I silently wiped my tears away, straightening my shoulders as I looked out at the other members of Team Hebi.

"We will no longer be Hebi," my quiet voice reached them all across the clearing. Surprise showed on all three of their faces. To the side, Madara merely stared at me with his one eye, listening carefully to what I said. "We are leaving that behind. From this day forward, we will now be known as Eagle."

I paused, looking at them all as they thought about what I had said. Their eyes widened as they met mine, seeing a change I had felt come over my sharingan. "From this day forward, we will have only one mission…"

"We will destroy Konoha."

* * *

Sakura's POV

I landed lightly on the ground, right behind Naruto and Kakashi as I sensed the others landing behind me. Silence covered the group as we all looked around. A frown creased my face as I surveyed the destruction surrounding me. The ground was torn apart, shattered from the raging battle that had taken place. Black flames were burning through the trees, raging despite the rain that was pouring down, soaking through my hood and making me shiver underneath the cloak I wore. Naruto was standing close to me, his eyes also taking in the damage. I glanced over, meeting his deep blue eyes, my own worry reflected in them.

We watched in silence as Kakashi pulled a blank scroll out of his jounin vest. He wrote on it quickly, using his body to protect it from getting wet as best he could. Once he was finished, he approached the tree line, the black flames of Amaterasu having spread in the mere few minutes they had been standing there. He slammed the scroll into the ground, speaking the words of the sealing jutsu as the flames were drawn into the scroll. He quickly rolled the scroll back up, glancing up at the trees above him as smoke poured from their charred limbs.

He turned back, surveying the damage on the surrounding area. His gaze moved to Naruto and me for a moment, before he glanced at the others of the team.

"We need to split up into groups, and search for any clues we can find as to where Sasuke might have headed after this." He said, looking between us all. Yamato nodded in agreement, glancing around the group. "Groups of two then: Kiba and Shino; Hinata and Yamato; Sai, you're with me. Naruto, you and Sakura are going to stick together. Everyone got that?" We all nodded.

I glanced over at Naruto, meeting his eyes for a moment before we both moved at the same time, moving further into the destruction littering the area around us. The other four groups took off as well, carefully searching the ground for tracks leading away from the fight. I concentrated on the shattered earth before me, studying the cracks spreading out in all directions. The amount of power that had been concentrated in this small area had been massive, completely changing the entire landscape by the time Sasuke and his brother had determined the victor.

Naruto stepped forward beside me, his eyes traveling up towards the obvious center of the destruction, where the fighting had been concentrated. He glanced over at me again, worry clouding his blue eyes, and he nodded in that direction, expressing his desire to head that way. I nodded, and we began to make our way through the debris, watching the ground for any helpful clues as we went.

Reaching the center of where the fight had occurred, we both dropped down in the crater that had formed where the ground had collapsed, our eyes taking in the devastation of the area around us. The cave in had fallen in on what had obviously once been a cavern of some sort. _Most likely a building stood here_, I thought to myself.

"It was some fight," Naruto's voice, unusually quiet, broke into my thoughts and I met his gaze.

"Yeah," I whispered. "Let's see what we can find."

He nodded and we both jumped back up out of the crater, staying close together as we walked around, constantly searching for anything that would lead us to Sasuke. I surveyed our surrounds, noticing a piece of wall that was still standing not far away from us. I stared at it for a minute, before tapping Naruto on the shoulder and gesturing towards it. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at it, and we stepped forwards together.

I froze as I saw the body lying on the ground. _Itachi_, my mind growled. Naruto had stopped beside me, his eyes lock on the body before us. A strange look was on his face as he stared down at the battered body before us. I shrugged it off, ignoring the look as I stepped closer to the body, studying the pool of blood Itachi was lying in. I extended my chakra slightly, searching for the extent of damage and what had finally caused his death.

I gasped, the blood draining from my face as I stared down at Itachi, shock clear on my face.

"What is it?" Naruto asked, worry clear in his voice.

I licked my lips, hesitating, "He's…he's not dead Naruto."

Naruto gasped as his eyes darted back to Itachi. We both stood there for another moment staring down at him, before both moving forward, cautious of an attack from the Akatsuki member. I kneeled down next to him, cautiously extending a hand over his chest as I extended my chakra and studied his injuries.

"What do you think Naruto?" I asked, looking back up at him as I drew my hand back. Naruto looked down and met my eyes, a cautious expression on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but froze, both of our bodies stiffening as we heard Itachi's voice.

"Heal me," he whispered, the effort of speaking clearly paining him. His face was marred with blood, his hair lying limp on the ground next to him. He slowly opened his eyes, black eyes that resembled Sasuke's so well. He slowly looked over at me, before moving his gaze to Naruto and staring at him for a moment. Naruto blinked, staring back at him with the same expression as before.

"Why the hell would I do that?" I growled out. Itachi's gaze snapped back to me, meeting my eyes as he lay in silence for a few moments. Every instinct in me told me to finish him off. _Kill him_, my mind raged at me, _he deserves to die! He ruined Sasuke's life. It's because of him that Sasuke left us, that he left me!_

"Because," he said, his gaze not wavering from mine. "I will tell you where you can find Sasuke."

* * *

_To be continued…_


	2. Actions and Motives

_Silent's Author's Note:_

**This is the next chapter to Callous Objectives. As you all may know, my fellow writer and partner in this fic, MelissaKS has written the first chapter, and this chapter is the one proceeding it. Please enjoy, r&r, feedback is valued and genuinely appreciated. **

* * *

Chapter 2

:Sasuke's Pov:

There was moister in the air, and it blew and wrestled my jet-black hair serenely. It swayed and made the trees dance and rustle with rage. The sun's rays peeked through the openings of the leaves that blanketed over us from above; none of this attracted our gaze as we kept on from tree branch to tree branch never letting up for even a breath. As we got further ahead, I noticed a change in front of us. Chakra flowing perfectly in the body from someone close by, my eyes contacting Madara's form shortly after this occurs.

I notice the others slow down after noticing my dark glare at Madara, Karin showing concern as she hovered swiftly towards me as the breeze held her above, because of the rhythm and the pattern she jumped with. Her hand dared to rest on my shoulder, but I scooted away, my shoulder diving away in mere disgust at her gesture.

Her eyebrow furrowed and her hand collapsed at my response, she looked on ahead, ignoring what had just happened. My lip creased a little, as I focused and averted my eyes at Madara once again. "We're stopping here." Came my voice, not even a pinch of tiredness affecting it, as I slanted a little towards a tree trunk to slow down my pace.

Everyone continued with my latest action, all both doing the same. Jugo had fallen behind, coming late after all of us as we all settled on the same thick tree branch to hold all of our weight. Madara tilted his head in wonder, and walked towards me like he knew exactly what was skipping through my mind at that very moment. "Your chakra reading is impressive, Sasuke." My eyebrows creased a little at hearing this coming from Madara, the breeze still taking our hair in a quiet war, thick black hair mixing with the wind for a solemn battle. "Come out, Kisame." My eyes grew a little bigger, noting that this must be someone Madara has been acquainted with. I still wondered whom.

And as Madara had mouthed this, and right on queue, a dark figure with the same attire as Madara walked out from behind a tree. He looked the same as a shark, only, in a human form. My eyes concentrated on the new person in our location, studying his actions as he made his way towards us. "Kisame, what is his business here?" Madara gave no reply, but concentrated on Kisame's way to them.

Kisame relaxed his shoulders, standing in front of Madara now and looking down at him with his towering figure. Suigetsu hunched a little, kneeling towards the floor in a break from our ongoing trip, exhaling and rubbing his forehead with two of his fingers. "Kisame… apart of Akatsuki, I recall?" A creasing tugged on Suigetsu's lip, a grin shivering onto his lips taking over the soft feature he usually took on.

"Yes. He was Itachi's partner in battle, and comrade ever sense Itachi had newly joined. He's been beside no one else, really." Madara took his stance, taking a step back one, and looked back at me, expressionless as his mask bore witness to me instead of an icy glance to respond to me other then his voice.

"I am only here by orders, as you would know… there is business we're trying to take care of. What are you doing here?" Kisame's eyebrows creased at Madara, still somehow maintaining no meaning in his face, he remained in the spot he had been all along, without moving a muscle.

"I'll explain it all later, right now, we need to explain Sasuke's plans." Everyone, including Jugo who was up against a tree slanting, with folded arms averted their gaze at me. I sighed without exasperation, stepping towards the middle of the circle we had managed to be in ever sense Kisame had introduced himself to our location. My shoes made their own song as I made it to the middle, facing Madara. "I'm curious as to how you determine to go about your revenge, Sasuke. You say you want to perish Konoha, but how do you actually plan to do this?"

My glance at Madara softened, drinking in what exactly I would say, and how just I would say it. I brushed off any tension that would be recognized in my voice, slanting a shoulder a little at the others who awaited my response. "I'll kill the elders. I haven't planned on killing anyone else."

Kisame stepped in for the first time, coming closer to both me, and Madara. Scratching the side of his mouth a little, his facial expression still remained the same, as he situated his weight to a portion of his body to make his stance more comfortable. "If you go to the more advanced, the others will protect them. Don't think this is going to be easy for you. Your "falcon" group wont be powerful enough. At the moment, you are no match for Konoha."

Suigetsu scowled at Kisame in a whisper, I recognized his lip curl in irritation at him, it was as a whisper that no one really laid their attention on. "I wouldn't quickly underestimate us if I were you, Kisame…" Kisame tilted his head to the side, giving Suigetsu his attention. "If I recall, we never did settle our little game… if I were serious…" Suigestsu's voice became a bit stern until he was cut off by Madara's calm voice.

We all focused on him now. "Stop it, Suigetsu." With Suigetsu's heavy sword, his weight shifted a little so he could charge Kisame, my eyes glaring a little at his child's play at a moment such as this. It was easily deflected by Madara, and was used with ease and poise. Suigetsu's eyes shot in surprise, shocked that he had blocked his attack with only his arm.

"Foolish idiot, this is not the place, or the time for that Suigetsu." Karin's voice put penetration on the conversation, alerting a different vibe to it. Suigetsu still glaring in an antagonizing way, as he spat his words directed at Kisame. "Kisame's always been the one I'm after, this is the only reason why I decided to join Sasuke."

Jugo chuckled pushing off from the tree he had seated and rested on, listening discreetly from the shadow beside us, scoffing in a low whisper at Suigetsu, and cocking a brow. "Sasuke, what are you gonna do?" Jugo was much more interested in what lay ahead of our journey, other then a war dispute between a shark and a vengeful young man.

"Alright, you can have your way Suigetsu. There's no way you can beat him yet, anyways." Throwing a palm to the side a little at Suigetsu, seeing him lower his gaze to the ground in agreement. Kisame smirking at my remark, and tilting his body a little to let it sink into his mind and play words in his thoughts, his sharp teeth were recognized at the side of my eye as he opened his mouth to chuckle a little.

Suigetsu sat down exasperating how the conversation ended up, huffing in disappointment at his failed attempt. "Yeah… you might be right Sasuke. Well, I'll just have to remind myself that I'll get some tasty shark fin eventually." An evil chuckle was noted by everyone listening in on Suigetsu's response to me. No one paid any attention at what it had meant.

Madara broke in to the conversation once again, like Jugo, focusing on the importance in the discussion. He seemed eager with his step forward towards me, gathering the important issues to warm me with and with the absolute sound in his voice. "Anyway, Akatsuki isn't strong enough either…" Suigetsu eagerly interrupted him, glaring irritated and smitten with reproach on Madara. " So you've got no room to speak."

Madara slanted a shoulder, continuing his speech ignoring and brushing off the remark Suigetsu shot at him. He steadied my gaze as I watched him recognizing the pitch in his voice lower as he got serious, trying to have my full-undivided attention. "Our arms coincide, now. So from this day forward, Akatsuki and Falcon shall move together." For some thought there, I realized Madara had tried hinting at this earlier on our trip towards Konoha, I hadn't really paid any of my attention till now.

"And why should we take you up on that?" I expected a much different response then I had received… "I'll give you one of the "tailed beasts". My eyes widened at this, air caught in my throat unable to respond quickly.

* * *

:Itachi's Pov:

My body itched and jerked with sudden movement, as their eyes stared burning into my body, shocked eyes scanning my condition. I winced a little quietly, trying to remain tactful and not fathomed by my current injuries. Shifting my weight to sit up, I couldn't move even an inch without wanting to scream out in bitter and astringent pain, I relented to do so and muffled back any air that would help me to bid this wish of ridding any of the caustic pain I buried within. My skin felt like it was on burning wretched fire, responding to my injuries and wounds, and paper cuts along my fingertips that I had received due to foolish mistakes I had easily made accidentally. The pain clearly winning the battle we partook in with life and death.

The dirt beneath me covered some of my infuriating wounds, making it worse for me to be in placating comfort against the tree. My knee inched up slowly, trying to straighten my back enough to face the two stricken in their very own footsteps, unable to confront me after their last words had danced in the wind. I wet my lips with my tongue, stroking my bottom lip a little as the wind bore witness to it and easily dried it shortly after. I coughed a little at the dryness of the air that itched the back of my throat; everything never failed to affect me in my difficult condition.

I heaved quietly in a prudent way, trying to make sure it was below a whisper, I knew they had studied my actions to be aware that Sasuke had played a great deal of power on me. I was vulnerable, and I could tell by the look on their faces that they were questioning whether to finish me off, or take me up on my deal. My eyes narrowed and caught site of them, their eyes widening at this as they noticed I had focused my gaze.

My hair choosing to betray and irritate me also by falling into my eyes, skinny strands tickling my nose and eyes, swaying blissfully with the wind enough for my eyes to focus on the soft locks. I ignored this, and focused on the two a few steps away from me again. "Well…?" I could tell the young girl with pink hair, the one called "Sakura" had more pity then doubt, as she scanned my body and wounds to see just how easy it would be to heal me. I could see her judging herself already if she decided to take a stand and heal me for those answers… those answers I know she was just biting herself to know already.

My lip asked me to crease into a grin; I refused and coughed a little more, getting slightly annoyed with their lack of response and futile silence that hovered over our location. I looked down giving them more time to gather words to interpret, knowing they must just be in a loss for words, as their expressions remain the same from my latest question.

"Why should we trust you wont just kill us after we heal you… how do we know we might not just as well be in danger?" Naruto took the response instead of Sakura; I could still see her questioning herself, her soft expression carrying stress and virtue to pick this choice wisely.

"Why would I want to kill you after I have already given you a portion of my power… Naruto?" I could tell the air had been caught in his throat, my point had been made and he took it bitterly. He took a step back to calm his revelation, remembering back on our little encounter before I took care of business with Sasuke.

This also triggered a memory of how I got here.

Flashback

"_Where are you off to, Itachi?" Kisame stopped in his footsteps as he noticed me taking my leave._

"_I have some unfinished business to take care of with Sasuke… he's waited all his life for this, and now is the time where his revenge finally occurred." Kisame's expression never faltered, he continued the same look, right about to question my actions. "But I must ask something of you, Kisame."_

_Kisame gave a nod in return. "If Sasuke fails to kill me once he leaves, please remove me from the scene and get me elsewhere. I have a solution on reviving my body. But I'll need your help getting there, I'm sure I'll be in no good enough condition to get there myself." _

_I could notice in Kisame's eyes he was questioning just what I had in mind, but otherwise, he nodded with a smirk._

"_Once your chakra drains to the littlest bit, I'll be close by to notice the drain." Kisame reassured me and elegantly purified my conscience. _

"_Make sure you keep the rest of Akatsuki from contacting my body, I want them all to remain thinking that I'm dead." Kisame didn't fail to nod, patting my back, reminding me we were always still partners in battles with our loyalty and refuge. _

"_Good luck." Was the last words I remember from my fellow comrade, I gave a solemn nod in reply, taking my leave quickly after to meet Sasuke a short distance away. _

End Flashback

"How do we know that your information will be accurate?" Sakura broke the silence that stilled everyone of us. I was surprised at he abrupt response, she uttered it shakily, still unsure of herself as she caught my dark gaze. Without let-up, she focused her gaze on me also, never breaking the contact.

"Because I have no reason to lie about information like this, now if you will please, heal me. There isn't much time left… my chakra is already drained practically completely, its not enough to keep me alive much longer." Sakura held herself back from running towards me and covering my wounds with her palms and sinking her healing chakra into my sore wounds, I could tell her eyes were written with worry at the chance that could get them back their lost partner. I could also see she could tell this could be betrayal, a despising crime that could disown them from their own village in utter dismay.

"Alright…" Once again, Naruto stole her reply, his voice shaky and still uncertain, but he had made his decision. My lips tried to go against my wishes and curl into a grin with confirmation of my fate, as I had been shaken and relieved that I had another chance back at life after this…. "Sense you're supposed to be dead, we'll hide you far away from here. If we keep you here, Kakashi and the rest will easily find you. We'll do it in sessions, I'm sure Kakashi wants to head back soon, if we don't find Sasuke by dusk, so we'll travel here in order to heal you properly."

I gave a nod, knowing I had to comply with whatever they chose to go about this; I indeed was the one vulnerable towards any attack they could decide to take upon me with. My lip quivered a little, one of my wounds itched eagerly to agitate in response to it, laying my head back and exhaling sharply at the feeling, as it cursed and bid me with discipline and submission, as I basically kneeled to its purpose.

Sakura looked at Naruto as in question to start. "We'll heal you enough that you are positive to live another day, we haven't much time, I'm sure Kakashi will be wandering our whereabouts soon enough…" Naruto nudged Sakura off a bit, and she stumbled a little, her legs seeming to be shaky at all this, the revelation… my condition for most part in questioning to her healing abilities.

She kneeled next to me, her scent emanating briskly around her, like an aura of perfume surrounding you in a glass box. I took it in reluctantly, such a bittersweet smell that I had only remembered in my past. She knelt farther, studying my injuries, and picking at my clothing a little to scan any gashes that might take longer then an hour or so to heal.

She settled a palm over the other, calming herself and easing the tension out of her veins and muscles trying to focus her attention of ridding the pain that coursed through every bit of me, and she started the process a few breaths later as the green chakra slipped oozing from her palms to my wounds. The pressure added to my skin, and the tension put on my aggravated lungs had started to dissipate and disappear as she began healing all of my serious imperative wounds that could've meant my life if left alone and avoided any longer then now.

"Where is he now?" Her voice interrupted my thoughts… that sweet innocent voice that didn't seem capable of murder, though I knew she must've thought of the act as she sited me half way dead on the ground and susceptible to any attack certain.

"…He must be with his team, I'm sure he's let them know of the outcome." She looked at me, as my breath seemed to hitch at my voice, exhaustion taking over as I started to get delirious, and my energy had been sapped. She added more pressure and energy to her chakra, I could tell by the eager and absolute look on her face, my eyes were also drained of energy, my gaze slowly leaving her face as my head sunk back a little, unable to stay alert, and almost not awake.

"You have to stay awake during this process, its best that you are conscious…" Her green emerald eyes assured me in my position, I never nodded, nor did I speak, I simply kept a firm gaze on her eyes, and she looked away noticing I wasn't going to answer her. I could remember that smell from anywhere, of course I could… How could I have forgotten? "Were we your only choice…?" The silence was exempt again, and this time I didn't look at her to respond.

"I thought about it before I fought Sasuke… I knew you would be around on a retrieval for him, so I chose my solutions wisely. I also had doubt that you'd actually conform…" She continued with her healing, concentrating on the bigger wounds, taking breaks in between, wiping sweat from her forehead as she focused on getting as much done as possible, and then repeating the process.

I lay back, taking in my surroundings, my fate… the current situation. Exhaling loud enough for her to hear, shifting my weight a little and letting my leg slide down, nudging her knee a little, she shuffled back slightly at this. I watched her leg move away, like I was some disgusting virus trying to trap her with my flaws, I brushed it off, renewing my gaze to the ground, my hair beginning to irritate my face once again.

* * *

:Sasuke's Pov:

My heart felt like concrete, heavy with exhaustion and fatigue, we had been traveling all day, and through the night. Though it was pitch black, our senses helped us avoid any mishap, or injury. Jugo and Karin surveyed our location, in case others happened to be wandering about, while the rest kept in a swift and quick pace. We had picked up chakra readings from time to time, but evaded any trouble, trying to focus on the mission and current task to get to the outskirts of Konoha.

Almost being contacted by another interruption, I would not allow more intermission on this task, slanting a foot forward on one of the tree branches, slowing myself down to a halt. Everyone around me immediately recognized this, doing the same shortly after, until we all ended up on the same tree branch like earlier before.

"Someone's close by… Jugo, Suigetsu, scout out the outskirts of this area, make sure we know who is in contact with us. I'm beginning to think they might know we are around here somewhere…" Madara focused his attention on me, itching at his spiky locks and resting a little by placing a palm on his kneecap, entrusting that I knew what I was doing, and being rather aware that I had sensed some disruption in the former peace. Jugo and Suigetsu both gave one nod at me, taking off after my order.

Karin tended to our supplies, while Kisame meandered around a little carelessly, checking our surroundings for anything unusual or suspicious. Madara and I were left alone; I could still strongly sense the chakra, knowing it must be nearby now. Madara scuffed at the tree branch, killing the silence with his shuffling as he shifted towards me.

His facial expression still quiet and hidden beneath that orange suspicious mask of his.

"These tailed beasts you speak of, how do you exactly propose we go about with them?" I questioned out of the settling silence, taking a step at Madara, laying an inquiry on the table regarding his motives.

My quest was short lived, when Madara responded quickly to my question, almost like he had expected this question sooner or later. And it ended up sooner… "We can easily give you these "tailed beasts", but even Akatsuki knows this wont be enough to attack Konoha… you need the mislaid beast." I cocked an eyebrow at this, speculating if he had meant what I conjectured he meant. "For years Akatsuki has built itself, vigilant and hidden under radars to congregate and assemble enough power to be inevitable against Konoha and neighboring associates to that very village. But even so, with all this building inexorable power, we still lack one tool." I had a feeling Madara would touch on this subject, lowering my head for a shadow to cover my eyes, in deep thought of his next words, I was sure he had more then a desire just to obliterate Konoha.

"This tool lies within that young boy, which was locked away into his body only at a premature age. At this time, Akatsuki wasn't even close in achieving the goal to capture and detain the tailed demon. Akatsuki was also weak at the moment, I watched their every aim at capturing this misplaced beast, and only decided to join till later when I felt Akatsuki was strong and physically more powerful enough to finish this vital and fundamental duty." Madara took a break from his explanatory speech, circling me with his hands linked behind his back, with ease and calmness emanating from his words, but virtue and determination from his beckoning stance.

"So if the "tailed beast" that you contain now is not enough… are you saying we need to capture Naruto and obtain the beast that he inherits?" My eyes narrowed at Madara as my eyebrows furrowed in wonder. Madara's shoes clicked in strides as his back faced me, his hands losing the link to slant his neck so his eye peeked through the hole, almost emphasizing a death glare.

"Its not that simple… our task wouldn't only be capturing Naruto and paralyzing him to weakness in order to obtain the demon." Madara finally slanted his entire body in order to face me, absolute heard in his voice. My thumb and index finger went to rest on my chin, rubbing it lightly, the ground still detained my gaze, searching my thoughts for the correct answer to the inclination in Madara's explanations.

"We'll have to immobilize him through death in order to obtain it…" Madara's voice grew stern and definite, as he was exact once I widened my eyes slightly, studying his stance more fully to search for a response.

* * *

:Sakura's Pov:

I felt his wrist, noting it was rather cold; I huffed exhaling after my work had nearly been completed. I felt a pool of weariness brush over me like a comb through hair, and stroked a hand through my pink locks. I placed my hands on my knees sitting upward, scanning his body once again. I could tell he was polluted, and desiccated just by the look in his eyes, the way they were barely open, his eyelids weighty and ready to close any moment now. I noticed Itachi wrinkling his nose at his hair, not even having a little energy to lift his arm and swat it away, I bit my lip softly, wondering if I should do it for him.

But what lay ahead if I touch him so suddenly? In fact it would be abrupt… and surprising if out of nowhere I choose to brush away a few strands for this disabled and damaged man's pale face. I inhaled a little sharply, but discreetly so he didn't notice. His hands shuddered in mere irritation; I can see it growing more and more bothersome and inconvenient for him. My hand shivered a little before I decided to resolute to brushing it away quickly.

"Why did you hesitate for so long…?" My eyes grew wide at hearing his low and solemn voice. His eyes looking even more swollen as they focused on me. I bit the inside of my cheek, chewing and grinding my teeth together in thought for an answer. But I remained speechless, turning away from his somber gaze, focusing on the patch on my hip, I pulled out a bottle of liquid, studying its color to make sure it was the correct one.

Sighing softly and pushing my hair over my shoulder, I turned my attention to him once again. "I'm going to nourish you this medicine now, it's to help you regain your energy, in order for you to have enough strength to walk on your own." I moved closer towards him, scraping the dirt with my knees in doing so, I tilted his forehead back, placing my other fingertips on his chin to open his mouth, the liquid slipped down his throat without any trouble, I placed the empty bottle back in my patch after finishing.

"Are you still frightened by me, Sakura?" Came his cold dry reply, I could only hear him heave from speaking, and then watched his lips move slowly to wet his throat once again.

Another reply stuck in my throat, unable to release itself on its own. I wet a cloth from my canteen and placed it on one of his dirty and parched wounds, rubbing it slightly, watching his eyes or gestures for any sign of pain… nothing. "Not frightened, just uncertain. I'm not sure what to think of you…" I never met his gaze, patting at his smaller wounds to clean them of any threat of contamination.

"Does he mean that much to you?" I halted suddenly at his striking words that hit like a needle. It was almost like it was real, all those emotions coming back at me like a crushing wave. Our eyes locked gazes, and never pulled away until Naruto's voice interrupted any future responses, our conversation short lived. I felt needy to get out from Itachi's presence.

"Sakura, Kakashi is nearby, we need to get him out of here immediately." The bushes a little ways away could be heard rustling, my eyes shot towards Itachi, widening in panic.

It felt like Kakashi appeared almost instantaneously, before we could even move a muscle to act. "Kakashi sensei!"

Our eyes shocked, our hearts hesitant and faltering to beat again. Our throats remained dry, and our hands shaky and unsure what to do. We were both shivering in our shoes, I bit my lip hard in anticipation for Kakashi to say something about this already… but nothing, and only panic and fright remained in our minds.

* * *

_To be continued…_

_Silent_


	3. Hiding Betrayal

* * *

Chapter 3

MelissaKS Author Note: Sorry, I'm a few days late on you here. It happens. Was having some writer's block, and then just sat down and forced myself through it, and wrote it almost in one setting. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: All previous disclaimers apply

* * *

**Chapter 3: Hiding Betrayal**

Sasuke's POV

I frowned as I watched the shining red eye that glared through Madara's mask, narrowing my eyes at his words. _'We'll have to kill him to extract the kyuubi'_, his words echoing in my mind as the smiling blue-eyed face flashed before my eyes.

"Is that going to be a problem for you Sasuke?" Madara's voice broke in on my thoughts and I snapped my attention back to him. "He was a good friend of yours, was he not?"

"That is in the past." I said in an emotionless voice.

Madara stared at me for a moment, his eye searching my face, "I'm glad you feel that way Sasuke, because you are fighting with the Akatsuki now, and you must devote yourself to the cause. Nothing can hold you back."

I leveled a glare at him, "Nothing will hold me back from achieving my goals."

"That's good Sasuke, that's really good." He said, still watching me, before turning and walking away.

I suspiciously watched him go, still not completely trusting him. I followed him with my eyes as he walked to the edge of the clearing and continued away, wondering where he was going. I briefly considered calling after him, questioning him on his destination, but glanced at Karin, knowing she could easily trace his chakra.

"Karin." Her head snapped up as she looked at me, surprise showing in her eyes.

"What is it Sasuke?" She walked quickly up to me, stopping annoyingly close to me. I inconspicuously shifted away, glancing after Madara.

"You can sense Madara's chakra in that direction?" She nodded, glancing that way. "Keep your attention on where he goes."

She blinked, staring at me for a moment, before looking after Madara again with narrowed eyes. She nodded absently as she watched that direction, walking a short distance away and sitting down with her back against a tree, her eyes closing as she focused.

* * *

Madara's POV

I mentally growled as I walked from the clearing, keeping my anger tightly reeled in. I could feel his eyes on my back, watching me as I left. He was suspicious; he didn't trust me yet. _Damn it_, I thought to myself, _I need his trust_. My plan was working so far; he had decided to take his revenge on Konoha, after a few pushes in that direction. _So easy to manipulate someone who's only goal is revenge_, I chuckled to myself, my goals finally looking like they were within reach. Konoha would fall, and I would use Sasuke to ensure it happened.

I continued on my way, following the chakra signature that had been tailing us when the group had stopped. The familiar feel of it making me realize whom it was. Weaving through the trees, my silent steps leaving no trace of my passing, I paused, looking to the side as I sensed the chakra's presence near me.

The tree shimmered before me, my single eye peering through my mask as it moved and shifted, two halves of a spiked plant that resembled a Venus Fly Trap formed from it, pushing farther out to reveal a head that appeared to be human at first glance. But the similarity ended with the general shape. His green hair stood out around his face, which was split down the middle, one half of his face being black, and the other white. His flat golden eyes shown out, his sharp, spiked teeth glinting as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I have news for you," he hissed, looking up at me. "Troubling news indeed," the black side of his face spoke up, growling under his breath.

"What is it Zetsu?" I asked, impatient to discover what had happened.

"It's about Itachi," Zetsu replied, his red-clouded black cloak flapping as a breeze blew through the trees, leaves rustling around us. "The brats found him, they did." His other half interrupted.

My gaze sharpened slightly, "Who found him?"

The white side of Zetsu's face slowly blinked at me, "The ones from Konoha," his more sarcastic side took over, "The pink bitch, and the jinchuuriki."

I stared at him for a moment, thinking over what he had said. "There is no problem with this. The Konoha group already knew Sasuke won the fight with Itachi. Itachi is dead, they have his body, yes, but we will allow them to have it. Now is not the time to attack them. We have to make sure Sasuke is fully dedicated to our cause."

"That's not the problem," His calmer side spoke before switching again. "The pink bitch caused the problem, she did."

"Then what _is_ the problem?" I snapped impatiently, glaring towards him.

Both sides of Zetsu paused, looking at me, before the white side spoke, "He wasn't dead yet." I froze, staring at him as the black half continued, "And the pink bitch healed him."

I stood there, staring into Zetsu's eyes, "Itachi is alive?" I asked dangerously.

They paused for a moment, visibly swallowing, "Yes, and Konoha has him."

I stood unmoving, glaring fiercely down at him, reigning in my rage as it threatened to consume me. My fists clenched at my sides and I ground my teeth together, thinking of all the implications of this, of how it could upset my plans. _If Sasuke finds out he is still alive now that he knows the truth of the attack on his family…_I shook my head, turning my back on Zetsu and stomping away, seeing everything that was so close to my grasp slipping away if Sasuke found out Itachi lived.

"DAMN IT!"

* * *

Sasuke's POV

"Sasuke," I glanced towards Karin, her glasses framing her face as she looked up at me from her position against the tree. I walked over; crouching down next to her and glancing in the direction Madara had gone. She leaned towards me slightly, her brow furrowing as she looked towards the trees, her gaze distant. "He's with the other chakra signature. The one you sensed. We stopped because we knew it was here, close to us. They are with each other right now."

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at the trees before me. It was suspicious, to say the least. "Can you sense if they are fighting or merely both there together?"

She turned back to me with a slightly troubled look, suspicion alight in her eyes, "I do not sense the chakra shifts of a fight. They are merely both there."

I rubbed my chin, still staring into the trees, possible explanations forming in my suspicious mind. Madara did not have my trust, and his meeting someone outside of the group without mentioning it made him suspect in my eyes. I slowly stood up, glancing around the make-shift camp, Juugo was sitting by him self, smiling at a bird up in a tree. Suigetsu, his pale blue hair framing his face, leaned against a tree a short distance away, occasionally shooting a glare towards Kisame, whose black cloak blew slightly as a breeze went past, the red clouds seeming to move as it whipped in the wind.

"What do you think Sasuke?" Karin asked, looking up at me.

I glanced back down at her, before shifting my gaze back towards the trees before us. "Keep close track of him, and what is going on. Both of them."

"Right," She nodded, settling back against the tree as her gaze returned to the forest, her face going blank as she concentrated on the two distant chakra signatures. I stood there for another moment, my mind churning with unrest, my mistrust for Madara growing by the minute. Turning away, I walked back to the center of the camp, narrowly glancing at Kisame as I went, my mistrust spreading to him as well. _He is after all, part of Akatsuki. He works for Madara, that is where his loyalty and his goals lie._

* * *

Sakura's POV

I froze, looking towards Kakashi, who stood there, his eyes locked on Itachi with murderous intent. His chakra was building up, his right hand clenching as he took a step forwards, his eyes never leaving Itachi's. Itachi merely stared back, his eyes slightly dulled by his pain and weakness, waiting for Kakashi to attack him while he was unable to defend himself.

"Wait Kakashi-sensei!" I cried out, standing up and moving towards him, flinching as Kakashi's and Itachi's eyes turned towards me.

Naruto quickly moved beside me, supporting my defense of Itachi. "He can help us find Sasuke, sensei."

Kakashi paused, looking between the two of us with an angry glare. His fists still tightly clenched at his sides. His forehead protector was shoved up, revealing his sharingan eye, the mangekyou sharingan spinning around his eye as the pressure of his chakra increased.

"Get out of my way. Now," He growled at us, the familiar chirping sound beginning to fill the air as he prepared to use Chidori on Itachi. Blue sparks began forming around his hand, quickly forming into entire bolts of lightning that shot out a short distance before dissipating, a blue glow surrounding his hand as he tightly gripped his wrist with the other hand.

"But you can't Kakashi sensei!" I yelled out, not moving from in front of Itachi, my heart racing at the thought of having to fight my own sensei to find my missing teammate.

"Kakashi sensei!" Naruto shouted, his blonde hair sticking in all directions, his blue eyes locking with Kakashi's as he stepped forward. "What was the whole point of this mission, huh?"

"Stop it Naruto," Kakashi growled, his gaze snapping around us towards Itachi, hatred in his eyes.

"No sensei! We're here to track down Sasuke, and finally bring him back to Konoha," Naruto responded, desperation clear in his voice as he tried to get Kakashi to understand. "We can use him to get closer towards that goal."

"That is Itachi Uchiha, Naruto," Kakashi ground out through clenched teeth. His eyes full of fire at the thought of letting him live after everything he had done. "He is the very reason Sasuke left in the first place."

"We know that sensei," I joined in, "But we have to get him back, and if keeping Itachi alive is the way to do it, then so be it!" I looked desperately up at him, seeing the conflict clouding his face as he glanced between Naruto and me.

"He's too dangerous to keep alive." Kakashi said, strengthening his resolve and pouring more chakra into the Chidori, giving it more power. The chirping sound increased, filling our ears. I knew we needed to convince Kakashi quickly, before the others were drawn to his raised chakra levels and the sound of the Chidori. Convincing our sensei, who was as desperate to get back our missing teammate as we were was one thing, but the others would not be so easily swayed to keeping the missing ninja who had wrought such destruction within the village alive.

"Kakashi sensei," The quiet tone of Naruto's voice made all of us pause for a moment, glancing over at him. "We have to get Sasuke back. We can use Itachi to help us do it. It is a risk, and we know that, but it's a risk we have to take." He paused for a moment, staring up at our sensei. "We don't have any other leads right now. This could be our chance."

"Please sensei," I said, looking up at him as his eyes shifted to mine. "We know he's dangerous, but right now he is too weak to fight us. His wounds are too drastic for me to heal all at once; it will take several sessions of me working on it to heal them all. I can block his chakra so he won't be able to attack us, or the village. Like Naruto said, this could be our big chance to get Sasuke back." The words made my heart jump, thinking of finally having him back, after so many years of trying and failing.

Kakashi sighed, looking between the two of us, his indecision written on his face. Gradually, the blue glow of lightning around his hand began to die down, the chirping of the jutsu dissipating as he let his arms fall loosely to his sides. He met both of our eyes, his face serious as he thought about the next course of action.

"What is his condition right now?" He asked, looking towards me. "Is he well enough to move now?"

"Yes," I quickly responded, turning back towards Itachi, who had watched the exchange silently, his face devoid of emotion. A brief emotion passed through his dark eyes as he met my gaze, quickly disappearing into a void of emptiness. Naruto, still standing beside me, also looked down at him, scratching the back of his head, ruffling his already messy hair.

"We need to get him out of here," Naruto said, glancing around. I quickly nodded in agreement, as did Kakashi, coming up to stand on my other side as he too looked down at Itachi.

"Yes, the others will not be swayed as easily as I have been," Kakashi agreed, drawing a scroll from a pocket on his green jounin vest. He grabbed the end, letting it roll down towards the ground as he quickly bit down on the thumb of the opposite hand. I saw the blood dripping down his thumb right before he rapidly rubbed it across down the length of the scroll. Kneeling down, he slammed the scroll flat on the ground, pouring chakra into it. "Summoning Jutsu!"

Several spots of white smoke appeared around us, the varying sizes slowly dissipating to reveal dogs from each. The smallest dog was by Kakashi's foot, staring across at Itachi before him. A low growl echoed in his throat as his glanced flashed up to Kakashi. "What is _he_ doing here Kakashi?"

"Pakkun," Kakashi said, drawing the dog's gaze, "I need you all to take him to a safe place, near the village, and keep an eye on him until we get there. The others in our group must not know about him. Keep him hidden from everyone except for us. If someone else approaches, then move elsewhere. Do _not_ let him be seen."

Pakkun stared up at Kakashi, surprise evident on his face. "Are you serious Kakashi? You want us to hide this _traitor_ from the village? He's clearly weak, now is the time to finish him off!"

"Do it Pakkun, I don't have time to explain right now, just do as I say. You come find me after he's hidden. When we get back to the village we will come." He glanced around, clearly worried about the others arriving, "Just get him out of here now, before the others come!"

The dog glared between Kakashi, Naruto, and I, finally settling his gaze on Itachi. "Fine, but I expect a full explanation." Kakashi glanced at me, passing a message with his eyes, and I quickly kneeled down next to Itachi, ignoring the look he gave me as I placed my hands on his chest, using my medical ninjutsu to trace his chakra channels, quickly blocking them from his use. He would not have regained enough strength, or have been well enough to escape for quite some time, but the precaution allowed us to make sure he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon.

I sighed as I finished, my weariness once again setting in. Itachi looked towards me, and I met his gaze for a moment, staring into the depths of his dark eyes. I shook my head slightly, quickly removing my hands and standing up, nodding to Kakashi that I was finished. He gestured to Pakkun, and the dogs quickly grouped around him, before they all disappeared in a flash of smoke, nothing left but Itachi's blood on the ground as the smoke dissipated.

I stood there with Naruto and Kakashi, glancing between them. They looked back towards me. We nodded to each other, before silently moving away from the spot, Kakashi rolling the scroll back up and tucking it back inside the pocket of his green vest, and reaching up to tug the forehead protector back down over his sharingan eye.

As we climbed up out of the crater, we saw Kiba making his way towards us. His direction shifted slightly as he spotted us, Akamaru loping along at his side. I glanced down, quickly drawing my gloves over my hands, hiding the blood that marred them. Nervously looking towards Naruto, who had noticed the movement, and meeting his gaze. He blinked worriedly glancing back at Akamaru, whose sense of smell would no doubt catch the scent of blood. Not to mention Kiba, who seemed to have a dog's sense of smell on his own.

We all paused as Kiba reached us, Kakashi immediately questioning him. "Did you find anything?"

"No, we haven't, the others are on their way here," he glanced between the three of us, his nose wrinkling as he sniffed the air, Akamaru loudly huffing beside him. The similarity of their expressions would have been more amusing if not for the circumstances. "Are you injured?" He asked suddenly, looking at me with a concerned gaze.

I quickly shook my head, keeping my face blank, "No, I'm not."

He stared at me for a moment, blinking in confusion as he glanced at Naruto and Kakashi, "But I can smell blood on you. What happened?"

"It's not hers," Naruto jumped in, an easy smile crossing his face as he met Kiba's questioning gaze. "We just found some back there is all. It is most likely from the fight between Itachi and Sasuke." Kiba nodded slightly, accepting Naruto's explanation.

"Did you find his body? That plant thing said that Itachi was dead." He asked, looking between us as he placed a hand on Akamaru's back, rubbing his white fur that contrasted his black ninja clothes.

"No," Kakashi spoke up. "There is no sign of his body that we can find, other than blood anyways, and we can't be a hundred percent sure that it is Itachi's. I'm sure that Sasuke was unable to come out of that battle completely unscathed."

Kiba nodded as Kakashi spoke, "Yeah, just look at this place, it's torn to shreds from that fight. It's a wonder that either of them managed to survive it, with the destruction covering the surrounding area."

Naruto cut in, "Of course Sasuke survived! We always knew he'd kick Itachi's ass! No way was he going to lose. It was his goal in life, what he worked so hard for!" His wide smile split his face in two, and Kiba smiled back brightly. A small smile crossed my face as I glanced over at Naruto's bright expression. It was just like him, to be this way. _Just like he was when we were younger, so cheerful and optimistic about everything_, I thought to myself.

"Let's get the others and see if they've found anything," Kakashi broke in, the sound of his voice betraying the smile hidden behind his mask as his visible eye curved upwards. We all nodded, following him as he took off towards, the rest of Kiba's group that he had left to come report to Kakashi.

The rest of the Konoha team was gathered together, all of them glancing curiously at us as we approached them. I noticed Hinata's pale eyes dart worriedly towards Naruto, relaxing as she saw him smiling brightly at Kiba over some joke they had shared. Shino merely glanced at us from behind his glasses, while a mostly fake smile lit Sai's face. Yamato quickly walked over to Kakashi.

"Anything?" He asked, glancing over the rest of us before locking his gaze back on Kakashi.

"Nothing note worthy." Kakashi responded with a bored tone, slipping an orange book out of one of his many pockets and opening it in front of his face. Yamato's eyes rolled slightly before he turned away. "Let's move out then," Kakashi said from behind the book, quickly disappearing into the trees, the rest of us close on his heels.

Many hours later, and much closer to Konoha, Pakkun reappeared, jumping through the trees next to our group. Akamaru was the first to notice his presence, barking loudly and jumping towards him. The smaller dog was clearly annoyed by the attention, an irritated look on his face as he glanced towards Kakashi, whose visible eye twinkled with amusement. The dog huffed, growling at Akamaru, who was clearly disappointed as he jumped back to Kiba's side. Kiba placed a hand on his back, a smile crossing his face as he glanced at the disgruntled Pakkun.

Pakkun swiftly jumped to Kakashi's side, glancing up at him pointedly. Kakashi nodded slightly, glancing towards Naruto and me. I exchanged a look with Naruto, my curiosity and worry reflected in his blue eyes. Glancing at the others leaping through the branches around us, I noticed several of them shooting curious gazes at Pakkun and Kakashi.

"Let's stop for a moment," Kakashi said to the group, dropping down from the trees and landing lightly on his feet. The rest of us dropped silently around him, everyone besides Naruto and me looking towards him in question. "I'll be right back."

Yamato opened his mouth to say something before changing his mind and watching Kakashi disappear into the trees with Pakkun at his side. He glanced over at Naruto and me, "Do you know what that is about?"

He frowned as we shrugged simultaneously; the same blank look plastered on both of our faces. His brow furrowed as he stared between us, clearly not trusting our answer. We glanced at each other, and looked back at him smiling.

"It's really nothing sensei," Naruto said.

"Kakashi sensei always does weird random things like that," I added.

The entire group was giving us weird looks now, before Kiba suddenly burst out laughing, bending over and clutching his sides. Everyone stared at him in amazement, watching as he fell over, gasping for breath through his laughter. I glanced at Naruto, puzzled, but his confusion offered no answers.

Kiba laid on the ground, catching his breath and grinning widely at our confusion, Akamaru fiercely wagging his tail behind him. "You guys always use to complain about him, remember?" He asked, looking towards Naruto and me. "He was always late with weird excuses, and always reading that perverted book. Well now we get to see what you meant all this time! You've been putting up with it for so long it doesn't bother you anymore while the rest of us are wondering what the hell is going on!" With that he broke down into fits of laughter again, quickly joined by Naruto's boisterous laugh. I couldn't suppress the smile that crossed my face, chuckling at Kiba's reasoning, relieved for his interruption of Yamato's questioning.

Glancing towards Yamato, I saw he was still frowning, looking towards where Kakashi had disappeared. Stepping forward, he moved to follow him, and I opened my mouth to stop him, trying to quickly think up something to delay him. Kakashi's sudden appearance through the trees made all of us pause as we watched him approach, Pakkun no where in sight. Kakashi's eye curved up in a smile as he reached us, and he lifted one hand in greeting.

"Let's go then," He said, only to be stopped as Yamato spoke quietly to him.

"What was that all about?" He asked suspiciously.

"It was nothing to worry about, just a report from Pakkun," Kakashi replied calmly.

Yamato frowned, not accepting that explanation. "A report about what? About the mission? You should not keep any new information from us."

"It's nothing that concerns you and nothing I can share," Kakashi replied firmly, brooking no argument as he met Yamato's eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, clearly in disagreement. The rest of us watched on in silence, Naruto and me sharing a glance but keeping our silence. Yamato finally nodded slightly, acquiescing and turning away.

"Let's get back to Konoha then," He said, disappearing back up into the trees simultaneously with Kakashi. The others shared a confused look, before shrugging and leaping into the trees after the two older jounin. Glancing ahead at the two, Yamato in the lead with Kakashi close behind, I could sense Yamato's irritation. He knew there was something Kakashi wasn't sharing, and I was sure he suspected that Naruto and I knew what it was.

I shared a glance with Naruto, before shifting my gaze back ahead. Our group moved quickly, blurring through the trees. No one spoke, our focus on reaching our goal. My mind focused on what would happen once we reached Konoha. I wondered how we would be able to keep Itachi secret, how long before he regained his strength and became a threat to us and to the village. _Perhaps we should have killed him as Kakashi sensei wanted to,_ I thought to myself, quickly quelling the thought as I thought of the chance it gave us of getting Sasuke back. _We need the information he has_.

Our group continued on, not stopping to rest as we raced towards Konoha. All intent on reporting to the Hokage, though my thoughts, as well as Naruto's and Kakashi's, continuously drifted towards what else lay ahead. Silence surrounded us, our steps silently pushing us from limb to limb, only the slight whisper of leaves noting our passing.

_

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To be continued…


	4. Author's Note

MelissaKS here

So…yeah….it's been….quite…quite a while. I know.

I apologize immensely. So does Silent.

I also apologize this isn't a chapter like you were expecting.

There are lots of excuses. Silent is busy with school. Keeping grades up is important, you should understand that.

My computer got a virus and crashed, and I was working on the chapter. It's gone. All of it. And I was making it extra long for you guys because of the horrendously long wait, and now I have to start all over. On top of that, I've been busy beyond imagination, as well as working with sites that are moving from msn and such.

So, good news, the story isn't dropped.

Bad news, the new chapter is not out yet. I'll try to work on it this weekend, but no promises. We'll see how fast I can get it done.


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